


Knot Me

by valeriacatulli



Series: Ridiculust [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Fluff, Knot actually any A/B/O, Light Bondage, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pets, Shibari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-12-31 16:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21148475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valeriacatulli/pseuds/valeriacatulli
Summary: Rey loves the art of shibari -- getting sensually tied up. She just moved to the Boston area and is looking for a new rope play partner.Ben loves his shiba inu. He's lived in the Boston area most of his life and is just trying to help this cute brunette.What could possibly go wrong?(New episode added Jan. 27)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to @reylo_gems on Twitter for the shout-out and to @kyloxreytfa for the amazing moodboard. It is much prettier than anything I could do! Please check out my other fics too and have a wonderful day!

Rey sighed and flopped back on her futon mattress. It took up nearly the entire floor of her room in the shared apartment. She and her friend Rose had recently moved to the Boston area for grad school, and it was not going to be a cheap experience. Rey had just wrapped up a long shift at the Starbucks on Somerville Avenue near Porter Square before walking back to their new home in Union Square. They had only obtained (very necessary) cleaning supplies and a couple of key pieces of furniture so far. The apartment didn't feel at all like a home yet. She didn't even have any curtains!

It was time to ask Reddit for help. As a programmer, Rey always found Reddit was the least annoying social network. There were a lot of funny people on there too. She was hopeful that some of the local redditors in Somerville could help her get acclimated to her new home. She pulled up r/Somerville on her laptop and scrolled through a couple posts about shutdowns on different parts of the transit system. Rose had not been kidding when she said the T was unreliable! After another minute, she composed a cheery message:

_Hi! I'm new to Union Square and am looking for help!_

_-Does anyone know the best place to buy decor (curtains, rugs, etc) on the cheap? _  
_-Best beer bar? (ok, I know that is going to start an argument, but give me what you got!)_

_Thanks!_

A few minutes later she had an answer, from a user with the handle <MITbeersnob>. 

_Hello <Shibarey> and welcome to Somerville. There are people who prefer to travel a bit farther from Union to visit Bukowski's, Lord Hobo, Redbones, etc. _

_Those people are tasteless a-holes. Just visit Aeronaut for brewed enlightenment._

_I'll send you a DM in case you would like company._

Rey opened another browser window and began reading up on Aeronaut. Yes, <MITbeersnob> was truth in advertising: the guy was undoubtedly a snob. His private message popped up and, unsurprisingly, contained a photo of a smarmy-looking ginger in expensive clothing. At least it was not a dick pic. She deleted the message and Googled some of the other bars mentioned. Redbones actually sounded fantastic. She realized she was incredibly hungry. But smoked ribs and Belgian ale were probably beyond the budget point she was looking for. 

Another response to her message came up. This one was from user <BaccaDesuYo>.

_Sorry that I don't know a cheap place for carpets and drapes. If you need kitchenware you should go to China Fair on Mass Ave north of Porter. _

_While you are over here check out Christopher's or head south to Cambridge Common. They are the best priced bar for people who care about beer not tasting like shit._

_Full disclosure I tend bar at Cambridge Common. Good luck on your move in and decorating!_

This one was amusing and seemed to get the picture that Rey was not looking to spend a lot of money. She smiled and texted Rose that she was going to check out Cambridge Common, a beer bar near Harvard. Her phone buzzed almost immediately with Rose's response. She was finishing up her lab shift and would join her.

Rey unlocked her bike from the bike rack, fastened on her helmet and began to make her way toward Harvard Square. She thought about how she would address the questions she needed to raise with Rose. Rey wanted to start trying to date. Bringing guys home was pretty easy to navigate with most sensible roommates. But Rey was into some BDSM. Back in England, Rey had never shared information about her non-mainstream hobby with her girlfriends. Now, in an unfamiliar country, she kindof wanted her spunky American friend to know what to expect, and have her back, if she visited some dungeon or invited a new person over to explore shibari. 

She was so absorbed in worrying about what would happen to her living situation if the conversation _didn't_ go well, that she almost missed that she had arrived at the restaurant. A non-descript brown facade with large plate glass windows fronted a sidewalk with a few picnic tables and well maintained potted plants. After locking up the bike (not like anyone would steal a polka-dotted 3-speed beater), she entered the restaurant and found Rose already relaxing in a booth.

"Wow Rose, you beat me here!" Rey smiled, hugging her friend.

"Soooo ready to get out of that lab. The upperclassmen undergrads are the worst. I wish we were back in Oxford. Those kids at least knew me for long enough to know that just because you are a foot taller than your lab tech, doesn't mean you should look down on her skills. Ugh."

"I feel for you," Rey commiserated. The duties in her program at MIT Sloan were rather different from Rose's at Harvard, but the problem of making your mark with a lot of people who thought they were the world's smartest remained.

The two friends ordered some sandwiches and regional beers. <BaccaDesuYo> was right about the impressive selection and (for Cambridge at least) sane prices. Rey found herself glancing at the bartenders and wondering if he (or she) was working tonight. She didn't see anyone who looked Japanese, so that one clue of the username wasn't paying off. There was a compact, fit-looking woman with a fringe cut straight across and heavy eye makeup, working alongside a big, burly guy with a huge beard who looked like he might have Latino heritage. 

Rey stopped daydreaming when Rose cleared her throat.

"So...I have a date for Friday!"

"Good for you!" Rey exclaimed. "I was just meaning to talk to you about what we want to do for house rules, about people staying over and stuff."

"I wasn't really going to bring him home just yet," Rose said. Rey quirked an eyebrow. "Well, okay," Rose continued. "I might go back to his place. But I don't like people knowing where I live until I'm pretty happy with where things are going. There was that stalker that one summer..." she trailed off, mouth turning down.

"Oh Rosie, I'm so sorry," Rey said, gripping her hand. Rose smiled again.

"Don't worry, Rey, I'm pretty sure Finn is a sweetie. Anyway, what about you? You seeing anyone?"

Rey sighed. "I think I'll get back out there again soon. But it's kinda tricky. I haven't had a boyfriend since Doph."

"Mitaka? Oh, Rey, he was a sweet guy but there was absolutely zero chemistry between the two of you. Did you date at all since then?"

Rey looked around and, satisfied that the restaurant was pretty noisy, decided it was time to fess up. "So, do you remember Jack? That guy who came with me to the Admiral's garden party last spring?"

"That old guy? He was kindof creepy." Rose's eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth quickly with her hand. "I mean...did you date _him_?" 

"Not exactly, it was more..." Rey began at the same time Rose blurted out "Sorry for calling him creepy if you were into him but..."

They giggled. Rey took a deep breath and began again.

"We weren't dating per se. I was interested in learning about the BDSM scene because, well, I had felt like things were too vanilla with Doph? So Jack is a dom, and he was teaching me."

Rose's eyes widened. "Tell me more. Was it hot? Does Jack have secret talents?"

Rey smiled. "Not exactly? So, I discovered I really like rope play but not most of the rest of it? But I got tired of Jack's shit. He has a whole bunch of different subs and he wanted us all to call him Master Porkins and clean his house and shit."

Rose dissolved into a heap of hysterical laughter. "Oh. My. God. Mr. Porkins is soooo not a sexy dom name."

"That's Master Porkins to you," Rey laughed. "Anyway, I figured out I was not into all of it. I just like to be tied up. Preferably by somebody who is actually hot. And doesn't want me to wash his dishes. And is only fucking _me_, you know?"

Rose smiled in return. "I'm glad you learned what you wanted, but no, I don't "know," lol. I hope you do find your sexy dom rope master who wants an exclusive relationship and likes to do the chores. Naked. But he might be hard to find?"

Rey nodded. "Yeah, and Boston is super repressed anyway. But hey, maybe I will find someone with most of those qualities and then train him how to tie me up? Be his shibari teacher?"

"Shibari?" Rose asked.

"Ah, nobody knows what that is," Rey agreed. "That's the style of Japanese bondage I am into."

"Didn't need to know!" giggled Rose, miming covering her ears. "Let's get another drink. Think that big bartender would tie you up? He looks about as old as Master Porkins..."

"Ugh," Rey shook her head. "No more guys who are old enough to be my dad. And preferably no more beards. But absolutely yes, let's get another round."

**************************************************

Ben flopped down onto Armitage's enormous black leather sectional and pulled his laptop out of his bag. There were many, many better ways he could think of to spend his time. But their advisor, Professor Snoke, Director of the Media Lab, had insisted that they work together on his side projects. So here he was. 

There were, however, two upsides to the arrangement. First, Hux tended to stock his fridge with very expensive beer, some of which was actually also very good. No one objected to grad students drinking while coding, so Ben was dedicated to demolishing Hux' beer collection every week. 

Second, Ben had discovered Armitage's handle on Reddit. Now he could troll him online on top of the pranks he liked to pull on him in real life. Ben logged into his troll account, <Kyloren>, and searched what threads <MITbeersnob> had recently posted to. Ah, there he was in r/Somerville, being snooty about beer while trying to ask some luckless person out who was new to town. Ben couldn't tell if the person was male or female, but he determined that he was going to make sure they did _not_ meet up with Hux. 

He typed a quick response to <Shibarey> as Hux came back into the room and sat at the desk opposite.

_Welcome to the neighborhood, <Shibarey>. Ignore <MITbeersnob>, he is an asshole._

_<BaccaDesuYo> is totally right about the Common. Did you get to check it out yet? _

_For home furnishings have you tried freecycle? There is usually some good stuff on there. Let me know if you have any questions._

Ben smiled to himself as he pasted a link to Hux' latest Reddit mansplaining explosion onto the phrase "he is an asshole," and thought about whether he had anything he needed to put on freecycle at the moment. 

"Stop daydreaming, Solo," Armitage snipped. "Let's get to work."

Their current project was to do with the lab donor records. Snoke was obsessed with external access to the list. He claimed that he feared rival programs would try to poach their donors, but Ben had a suspicion that there was more to it. Probably something shady that their jackass advisor didn't want the IRS to turn up. Anyway, the program was a script that would automatically destroy records and replace them with gibberish files if they were accessed by anyone other than Snoke.

They were halfway through their afternoon session and Hux was up getting a second round of beers when Ben's phone dinged with a notification of a direct message for <Kyloren>. He read it hastily. It was from <Shibarey>.

_Thank you sooo much <Kyloren>. I had already figured out that <MITbeersnob> was a twat but I hadn't figured out that freecycle has better stuff on it here than back in the UK! There it is all prams. Cambridge Common was great. I went with my friend and tried beers from Allagash and Jack's Abby._

_There are a couple pieces of furniture on there that I would love to snag but the "pick it up yourself" bit is challenging as I only have a bicycle. Do you happen to be able to advise the cheapest place to rent vans?_

Ben still couldn't figure out if the person was male or female, though they sounded more female? But he decided to be a bit flirtatious regardless. Nothing would be more satisfying than sniping someone Hux had tried to pick up on Reddit. If it turned out to be some old dude, he'd just have somewhere else he needed to be. Nobody was going to abduct a 6'3" ex-Marine. So he DM'd back.

_Hi <Shibarey>. _

_I don't know about renting vans because I have a very large truck. If you'd like I can help you pick up furniture. Moving into this town is a pain._

_If you need a character witness before meeting up with some random, ask Chuy Bacca. He's the bartender at Cambridge Common who answered your thread. Or feel free to google me -- real name's Ben Solo, I'm at MIT._

Ben had a good feeling about this. He attached a photo where he was hugging his dog Knight. The big furry shiba inu took up most of the frame; Ben's face and bare arms peeked out around him. Obviously <Shibarey> liked shibas too, so they would probably think the photo was cool.

**********************

Rey was still dithering over how to respond to the DM when Rose let herself in the door of the apartment. Or, to be honest, she was not really thinking about what to write as much as she was imagining those muscular arms embracing her. She flushed, then beckoned her roommate over to the pile of pillows that was standing in for a sofa in their sadly undecorated living room.

"Come look who I've been messaging with on Reddit," she said. Rose hurried over and sat herself down on a pillow. Her eyes widened as she took in the attractive stranger. 

"Whoa girl, are you sure? Not like a catfishing old dude who stole somebody's Facebook profile photo?"

"Yeah, he told me his name and I looked him up on his lab's website. Pictures match. Plus this photo doesn't show up in a Google image search, so it's not stolen."

"He's hot. Are you meeting up or something?"

"Maybe? Not a date. He offered to use his truck to help me pick up free furniture." 

Rose thought for a moment. "If you just need a big vehicle, Finn's dad has a mega-van. It could easily fit a couch. Finn and I will help you. Then you can try and meet up with this guy without immediately owing him a favor."

"And you don't mind owing Finn one?" Rey quizzed her friend.

"Nah, we're labmates. It's different from strangers."

"I see your point," Rey nodded. "When's the van free?"

Rey and Rose worked out the details. Half an hour later Rey tapped out a quick response to Ben.

_Thanks so much for the offer. My roommate's got a line on a van, though, so I don't need help with moving furniture after all!!_

_Perhaps we'll run into one another some other time, though. I'm an MIT student myself (Sloan, technically)._

_Cheers, _

_Rey_

_p.s. Your dog is amazing!_

She figured it was only fair to use her actual name now that he told her his.

*******************************

Ben's brow furrowed. Yet another message from <Shibarey> without convincing them to come out...and without ascertaining much of anything about them. The name Rey could be male or female, and Sloan students could be any age. The business school also had so many students that they didn't have profiles of the students on the website like the Media Lab and other science Ph.D. programs did. 

Maybe he would be more direct. Direct invitation, direct compliment. Not his usual way of doing things, but he could give it a shot. He quickly composed a response.

_Glad you found a way to get your furniture. Any great finds on freecycle?_

_I'm also happy that you liked the picture with my dog. In return, I have to tell you, your handle kicks ass._

_I'd rather make plans than wait for a random run-in around campus. What do you say to coming over for some shiba fun? This weekend maybe?_

_Sayoonara,_

_Ben_

He hoped playing the dog card would pique their interest rather than the invite to his apartment coming off too strong. 

*************************************

Rey's eyes about popped out of her head when she read the message. And reread it. And reread it again. "Rose!" she shrieked. "I think I found the unicorn!"

Rose peeked over her shoulder at the message, her eyebrows gradually lifting toward her fringe. "You go girl...it does seem like maybe you found the one guy who knows what you are into? Isn't that, like, too good to be true?"

Rey thought for a minute. "Look, he compliments my handle, talks about "shiba fun," which yeah is a weird way to talk about it but whatever, and signs off in Japanese. He totally just asked me to come over for rope bondage because my name is <Shibarey>. Maybe I should think about switching to a less obvious handle if I am going to be meeting people from Reddit in real life, but this time I think the name did me a solid!"

"As long as you don't think there's any chance it could be a creepy stalker situation," Rose cautioned. 

Rey shook her head slowly. "No, I don't think so. There's no knowing what he thinks is "shiba fun," so I could find another Master Porkins. But I'd rather discuss the boundaries once I've met him face to face, you know? Not invest a lot of time into something that won't even happen if I don't find him really hot."

"You find him really hot. Look at that picture again and tell me you don't," Rose dared her.

"Ok ok...I do. Anyway, I will give you his address and promise to text you if I'm planning to stay over."

"That would make me feel much better. Now go get that hot stuff!" Rose cheered.

************************************

Ben brushed dog fur off his couch pillows one more time. He couldn't stop pacing around his apartment. Rey was arriving any minute and he still knew basically nothing about the person he had invited to his home on a whim, just because they were a dog lover. And because it was some weird way to get back at Hux.

At last a knock came at the door. Ben wiped sweating palms on his jeans and undid the bolt. When he pulled the door open his breath stuck in his throat.

<Shibarey> was gorgeous.

She was a lithe brunette with a brilliant smile, albeit a nervous one, probably matching his own. He didn't register much about what she was wearing once he realized it involved leggings and he should be looking at her eyes to not be creepy. She had a large bag, something between a purse and a duffle, over one shoulder. After a quick introduction he was ushering her into his apartment and closing the door again. 

Knight chose that moment to bound out of the kitchen and leap on the visitor. She took it in good form as a real dog lover ought too, allowing Knight to sniff her and giving him lots of petting and affection. Ben imagined her strong, slender hands massaging his shoulders instead of the dog's...really not an appropriate thought for the moment, Ben realized as he felt the blood rushing south in his body.

"All right, boy, let's let her get comfortable, ok?" Ben grasped Knight's collar, encouraging him to give Rey some space. 

"Actually, if I might," Rey began hesitantly, gesturing with her hand at her bag.

"Oh sure," Ben responded. "Bathroom's right over here, make yourself comfortable."

"I will," Rey said with a smile. A sultry smile, which Ben definitely did not expect, but there was no other way to describe the way she peeked up at him through her eyelashes and licked her lips. 

*****************************

Inside the bathroom, Rey took a deep breath as she carefully removed her clothing and put them in her bag, taking out the rope and ensuring she was well moisturized. She thought back to the first time Jack invited her to his "dungeon." It was actually a semi-detached home in a really boring town near Ely. When she arrived there were half a dozen other young people milling about. Three of them were wearing metal collars and had various edgy piercings. One was dressed in normal street clothes but being pleasured with an electrical stimulator toy. Others were cleaning various swings and other equipment while wearing leather outfits. 

Rey had to ask Master Porkins to explain her place in all this. At the sound of her voice, everyone else glared at her. "My slaves know better than to talk. Other than setting up safewords, the only thing you should hear in this dungeon are cries of pleasure and pain," Jack pontificated smarmily. Rey still stood there, unsure what to do. "Well, go get your kit off girl! Your 'place in all this' as you call it is to look beautiful while I tie you up. All right now kitten?"

Rey had grimaced internally. Something did not sit right about words like "slave" for her. But as soon as she took her clothes off and Master Porkins began to tie her up, she forgot everything. The balance between pain and pleasure was beautiful and in the mirrored walls of the dungeon she could see that she looked beautiful in the intricate series of ropes.

But now, in Ben Solo's bathroom, she knew that she had to show that she _knew_ her place. That she was ready and confident. He was so fucking hot, he must have his pick of sexy women to play with. Rey knew that her confidence, her sense of self, and her natural affinity for shibari were her strengths. She just had to get this new guy to appreciate them... So she put her hand to the door handle and turned...

********************************

Ben put on some quiet ambient music and encouraged Knight to work on his chew toy in the other room rather than drooling on the couch like his usual. Rey was taking rather a long time in the bathroom. Standing at his breakfast bar, Ben started to type out an email to one of the guys from the lab (not Hux for once) when the bathroom door opened. 

Suddenly Ben knew what it felt like to have a heart attack. Or a stroke, he wasn't sure. The main feeling was complete, desperate confusion. Mixed with complete, desperate arousal.

Because for whatever reason, his charming dog-loving Reddit friend had decided to walk out of his bathroom completely nude. Like, without a single stitch of clothing on her body. Looped over one arm she carried many yards of heavy, thick blue rope. But of her leggings and other attire nothing was to be seen.

Ben swallowed, staring, still unable to say a word. So Rey spoke first.

"What are your thoughts on safeword and boundaries? I've only played with one dom so I'm not sure how it works with others." Noticing his silence, she hesitated a moment. "As long as this is all right? You did want to do shibari, right? Or oh my god, are you a submissive? Did you think I was volunteering to tie you up?" Rey trailed off.

"Shiba-what?" was all Ben managed to croak. He found his way to the couch and sat down. Hopefully at this angle his erection would be less obvious. Though, the naked woman in his living room presumably might want him to have an erection? But, if someone was crazy enough to strip off in the home of someone they've never met, was she really someone he wanted to get involved with?

Rey made a concerned expression -- which, really, seriously, he was looking at her face ok? -- and answered in a confused tone. "Shibari. Like my Reddit handle. Japanese rope bondage. Like I thought you invited me over for? What did you call it -- "shiba-fun"?"

Now it was Ben's turn to furrow his brow. "Shiba...I thought you meant like shiba inu. Like my dog, Knight? The shiba inu in the other room?"

"There is a dog called shiba? Ummm... Whoa. That means... You were not inviting me over to do rope bondage. You were inviting me over to play with your dog." Rey gasped in horror and embarrassment.

"Yep," Ben popped the p. Then he saw how embarrassed she was. Probably not psycho then, just an...honest mistake? A really kinky honest mistake by a really fucking sexy woman? He had better fix this situation, pronto.

"Wait, Rey. There is no harm done," he extended his hands in a calming gesture, as if trying to deescalate things with a wild animal. "It sounds like you don't know much about Japanese dog breeds, but I don't know literally anything about rope bondage. You don't need to feel bad. You can put something on if you would feel more comfortable and we can...exchange knowledge?" Hopefully that would keep her in his house.

Rey smiled in relief. If he wasn't wrong, Ben thought he saw tears shimmering at the corner of her eyes. Close call then. 

"I'd like that. A knowledge exchange. And if you like what you hear, perhaps you'd be willing to try a few knots on me at the end?"

"I would find that very interesting," Ben nodded rapidly. Rey turned and walked her exquisite ass back into his bathroom. Ben dodged into his bedroom to rummage around and see if he had any unexpired condoms. Then it occurred to him that he knew so little about BDSM, he didn't even know if his dick was actually going to be involved in the process of "shibari." He exhaled a centering breath, pocketed a condom, shut the drawers and returned to his living room.

***************************

While Rey put some clothes on, Ben brewed a pot of sencha and shut Knight firmly in the guest bedroom with his favorite mangled Yoda plushie. 

"You can learn about shiba inus later," he smiled, attempting to reassure his still mortified visitor. "I think I probably like your idea of how we should spend the afternoon, even if I usually would try to take you to dinner before I let you get naked in my living room."

"Oh my God," Rey covered her face again. "You really don't have to do this if it is not your thing. You clearly aren't actually a dom and I don't even know if you like women and..."

"Whoa, whoa," Ben interrupted. "I like women. I like women who know what they like, and I am willing to see if I like it too. Since I like your attitude and you are hot as shit, if you are comfortable trying this with noob me, let's give it a go."

Rey looked at him searchingly for a minute before extending a hand. They shook on it, each breaking into a goofy grin and keeping their hands clasped far longer than was necessary. 

"All right," she said, standing up and moving toward him. She handed him the long, heavy coil of rope. It was smoother than it looked. "The point of shibari is to take control away from the submissive in a way that creates basically a work of art. If you're familiar with tea ceremony," she gestured to the heavy black pot sitting on his table, "calligraphy, ikebana, origami...Japanese culture has elevated a lot of things into art forms."

Ben smiled. He'd have to share his calligraphy with her later. "So how do I make sure that you are comfortable while I turn you into erotic art?"

Rey looked down, then back up at him. "Some discomfort is part of the point. But you tying the knots the right way will ensure I don't get, like, circulation cut off or anything. It's also essential if you want to do any aerial poses." Suddenly the image flashed in Ben's mind of Rey suspended squirming from the ceiling while he licked her avidly. He was almost surprised by how arousing he found the idea. 

"Fortunately for you I was in the Marines. That means that I have a really securely installed pull up bar to suspend you from," he winked, "and I'm good at all the Boy Scout knots." 

"Ok, shall we try some of the traditional patterns?" Rey asked. He nodded.

Over her loose tshirt, Rey guided the rope under, around, and between her breasts. Then she showed Ben how and where to knot it and how to check that the tightness was safe and appropriate. 

Ben gulped as he looked at Rey, her pert breasts sticking out even more prominently than usual. He gulped.

"May I...touch you? During our...lesson?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" Rey yelped, almost squirming with anticipation. When Ben ran the roughened backs of his knuckles across one nipple through her shirt, Rey knew she was done for. 

She gulped and hastily continued with the shibari instructions. She pointed out how to harness the rope around her shoulders and hips in a way that wouldn't shift and would provide the structure to pinion her arms and legs to.

"I have a question," Ben interrupted, blushing slightly. "How does the rope go between your legs?"

Rey smiled in anticipation. "There's two ways, basically, you can do two loops rather like a climbing harness. They go outside the labia and leave room for penetration, like crotchless panties, but they don't stimulate the wearer. The other way is to run one rope right down the middle. Then you can tie in knots to create more stimulation. Either way you do it, you can get some extra variety by connecting the ropes to my arms or wrists so if I struggle, it pulls on the crotch rope. It's different if you are tying up a guy"--Ben winced slightly--"but I don't really know how to do that anyway."

"That's totally fine. Mind if I try finishing--your harness?" Ben asked. Rey shook her head rapidly. 

Ben took his time, first looping ropes twice through Rey's legs and then undoing his work to try it the second way. Brow furrowed, he fashioned an intricate series of different sized and shaped knots to stimulate her sensitive region, then took hold of the rope end. Cinching the knotted rope up through her legs, he gently dragged it back and forth, watching as she let out a series of gasps. He could get used to these sounds. 

Eager to test the limits of her enjoyment of their "lesson," Ben reached for Rey's nipples again with his spare hand. Soon he was rubbing and pinching while rhythmically guiding her to ride the rope between her legs. It was only a few minutes before she dissolved into a shuddering orgasm, sagging on her feet. Ben held her tight, moving her to the couch and beginning to loosen the series of knots.

Once Rey was fully unbound he wrapped her in a large soft fleece throw that had been a Media Lab giveaway at some point, then went to get her a glass of ice water. When he returned he saw she was blissed out and almost dozing.

"Ben," she mumbled, "you are a natural. That was incredible. Now you have to let me return the favor." She started to sit up and reached for the fastenings of his pants.

"Whoa, whoa," he said, gently removing her hands. "You are tired. And this has to have been a weird experience for you, with the miscommunication. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and feel like you were lured here on false pretenses."

She looked at him sadly. Even Ben, who had been told he had the emotional intelligence of Mount Rushmore, could tell that she felt like he was rejecting her.

"Trust me baby," he said gently, "I want you. I want you to return the favor. But I can wait until you process that I am not the BDSM master you thought I was, I am just some nerdy dog lover. Fuck, I just thought I would be doing someone a favor by making sure they stopped listening to Hux!"

"Hux?" asked Rey, confused.

"He is my labmate, he goes by <MITbeersnob>."

"Oh." Rey processed this. "So you didn't really even want to hang out?"

"Well, I was happy to hang out, but for all I knew you were some weird old guy or a grandmother with bad teeth! All I knew was you seemed to like the same kind of dog as me! So please, can I drive you home and then set a time to meet up with you again in a day or two? If you want to?"

************************

Rey considered for a moment. The whole situation was weird. She was attracted to the guy, why wouldn't he let her get him off? Maybe it was his way of trying to show her he could be in charge of the situation, like a dom should be? Maybe she didn't care. But clearly, he was not comfortable with more, so she would have to go. Even if it made her sad. Because she did not much know Ben Solo, but she knew she wanted to. 

She looked up and in an instant she felt more hopeful. The look in his eyes suggested that he very much wanted to know her too. The bulge in his pants suggested he wanted her to get him off, but that could wait if he insisted. "Ok," she nodded. She slowly extracted her body, naked and patterned with red rope marks, from his soft blanket and shuffled into the bathroom to put clothes back on. When she came back out he handed her a chocolate bar and, guiding her with his hand on her lower back, led her out to his truck, an imposing black Silverado. 

The drive passed in silence once she explained where she lived. When he pulled up to the curb around the corner from her apartment, he reached out a hand. She took it, and they both shivered.

"Rey, I'd love to see you again soon. Can we meet for lunch in Kendall sometime soon?"

"I'd love that too, Ben. How about tomorrow?"

A huge grin split across his face. "It's a date. Where do you want to meet?"

"There's a little Greek place..." she described how to get to it. "See you there?"

He nodded and watched as she got gingerly out of his truck and let herself into her apartment building. Then he drove back to his apartment. It was nice, but now that Rey had been in it he knew what could make it even nicer. 

That night Ben Solo slept better than he had in years. 


	2. It's a Trap!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ben Solo realizes what awful crimes Snoke has implicated him in, he turns to his mom, Senator Leia Organa, for help. She brings FBI Agent Poe Dameron on the case.  
Agent Dameron is the FBI's top honey trap expert. And he has his sights set on something in Armitage Hux's pants.

Ben scanned the rows of data flashing across his screen. The sinking feeling in his gut intensified. This was...not good. He always suspected Snoke's project was flirting with the wrong side of the law, but he didn't understand just how bad it could be.

The knocking on his door intensified. Seriously, whoever it was should just give up.

Or, wait... Ben finally looked at the clock. Shit. He had been combing through the donor records for five hours?? No wonder there was knocking. It was time for his date with Rey.

Ben put his laptop on the table, ran his hand through his hair, and racked his brain for a hasty apology as he pulled the door open.

"Ben!" the captivating woman on the other side of the door exclaimed as she leapt into his arms. "What took you so long? I have been knocking and texting you for five minutes out here! Did Knight steal your phone again?" She reached down to pat the furry beast who was wagging at her eagerly. Ben's dog loved Rey almost as much as Ben did.

"I'm so sorry, babe," Ben groaned. "Something bad came up about my work and I was so absorbed I didn't notice the whole afternoon is gone."

"It's okay. I do want to leave soon, though," Rey smiled happily, which made Ben feel at least a little better about the world. "Remember, they are playing "Woman in the Dunes" at the Brattle tonight! It's that Japanese film I really wanted to see! Luckily you live so close to Harvard that we will still make it in time," she said, grabbing at his hand.

Ben looked down at his energetic girlfriend. Today she was wearing a microscopic, flared skirt and a white Oxford shirt. Her hair was up in her unique style, with three buns down the back. She must have changed after her shift at Starbucks. Now she looked like a manga fan's wet dream. So, basically, his wet dream. Ben sighed. He never wanted to say no to Rey. Especially not to cancel something they had been planning for days -- their relationship was only a month old, so he would have to be a dick to cancel their date. Plus he really did _not_ want to know what would happen if she walked into a theater full of Japanese film buffs looking like _that_. Without him. 

But what he wanted to do was one thing. What he ought to do, given the horrible information he had uncovered... Ben knew what he had to do. He just didn't know if he had the strength to do it.

He looked at Rey silently. She looked at him. Somewhere in her eyes he saw the moment that she saw that something was _not_ right. She took his hand.

"What's wrong at work, Ben? Did Snoke treat you like shite again?" Anger sparked in her eyes. It was one of the things Ben loved most about Rey, how fierce she was to defend anyone she cared about. Knight was the same way. Maybe a shiba inu was Rey's spirit animal. That would explain how they ended up meeting the way they did...but he did not have time to reminisce about that right now.

"If I start telling you about this, we aren't going to make it to the movie," Ben cautioned.

Rey bit her lip. She thought for a moment. "Ben," she responded, "our dates are always great. And it's not because of where we go, it's because of you. So I'm ok with missing the movie tonight. I'll find a way to see it some other time. I want to hear what is going wrong in your life. But, we have to have a very good dinner after you tell me. Because I suspect you missed lunch."

"Takeout sushi boat?" Ben suggested.

"It's a deal," Rey eagerly pulled the door shut and sat herself down, all tiny skirts and long tan legs, on his large comfortable sofa. "Now, tell me all about your problem."

"I think I'm going to need a beer for this," Ben said as he went to the fridge. "What are you in the mood for today?"

"Do you have any more of that one with the owl on it? That was amazing," Rey smiled.

"Sure, can we split the last one? After that I just have Heady Topper. Hux brought it over when we were working earlier." Ben took the bottle of Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale and carefully poured it into two tulip glasses, handing one to Rey. 

"Cheers," she said, clinking glasses. "Now spill the beans."

Ben sighed. "Back in June Snoke started me and Hux working on a new side project. We were writing scripts to manipulate or destroy the lab donor records if they were accessed by anyone but Snoke. At first I treated it like any project. I delved into the data to get a feel for the best way to work with it. I noticed that we have some really fucking famous donors. Like, Kennedys and shit. 

"Anyway when I mentioned that I was impressed by the donor list Snoke got really pissed. He emphasized that the whole point of the project was to *not* have loose lips about the donor list. He made us strengthen our security protocols a lot too. Hux and I now had to work on the project in person, because the only way to access the database was to use two-factor authentication. We each have a dongle and they only generate the authentication codes when they are in the same room. So, the database can be accessed by Snoke; or, it can be accessed by me and Hux when we are in the same room."

"Sounds pretty paranoid," Rey commented, taking a sip of her beer. 

"Definitely," Ben said. "He said it was to keep the donors from getting poached by other institutions like Cal Tech and Harvard. But I figured it was probably some kind of tax dodge. Last night, though, after you left," here Ben blushed a little bit. Rey smiled, thinking of their very inventive shibari scene. "Well, I was a bit wired and couldn't sleep so I turned on CNN. And they were talking about Jeffrey Epstein and Sheev Palpatine and their awful underage sex island."

Rey grimaced. "Yes, I saw that headline somewhere. Didn't want to read the details."

"I didn't really want to hear about it either, but I had this vague recollection from June that when I had looked at the data, Epstein's name had been in there. So today, when Hux and I were working, I used a script to capture screenshots of the data so I could look at it again without Snoke knowing. And I looked at the database. And Epstein is our number one donor. Millions of dollars. Palpatine is on there too, I think he is donor #3."

"Weird," Rey said. "But what does it mean?"

"Well," Ben responded, "I have seen arguments that it's better to take criminals' money and spend it on something good like science. But if Snoke really believed that, why is he going to the trouble of having his two strongest doctoral students spending months writing scripts to delete the evidence that he is taking criminals' money? I think the relationship between Snoke and these guys might be deeper than just a donation. And that is really gross."

Rey pondered for a moment. "I bet you have already thought through all your options, but is there a reason why you and Hux can't just take this information to the university president or the Boston Globe and then it's not your problem any more?"

"Hux would never go against Professor Snoke," Ben said gloomily.

"Why not?" Rey asked.

"You are here on a student visa, right?" Ben asked. He saw the lightbulb go off in Rey's head.

"I'm not, actually. How did you think I would be working at Starbucks if I was on a student visa?" she said. "Dual citizenship is the one thing my parents left me. But I can see why Hux would need to keep in his adviser's good graces. Is there anything you can do on your own with the screenshots?"

"I'm not sure I'm willing to shoot my Ph.D. in the foot that spectacularly," Ben admitted. "I want to have really rock solid evidence and a good plan. I am considering something I never thought I would do."

"What's that?"

"Go to my mom for help," Ben admitted.

"Your mom? I don't think you've told me about her," Rey looked thoughtful. "Is she a hacker or something?"

"No, my dad is the hacker," Ben said. Rey smirked. "My mom is the senator," he continued.

"Senator?" Rey looked confused. "I thought you grew up here. Is she in the state senate? Because the only US Senator I know of is Leia Organa, and she..."

"Is my mother," Ben cut in.

*********************************

Well, that was a tough conversation, Rey thought, as Ben navigated them in his big black truck toward the law offices of Organa, Holdo, and Connix. She had known he rarely saw his parents because of some estrangement. But hearing the whole sordid tale about his uncle she now understood better why he avoided them. Now, though, he was coming to realize that his senator and lawyer mother would probably be able to put him on the track of the right people to take down Snoke — whom she hated. But as they parked alongside the tall brick building, she could feel his confidence wavering.

“What’s wrong, Ben?” Rey asked quietly.

“I…I just don’t know if I can grovel.”

“You won't have to, honey,” Rey replied. “You’re so strong, and you know this is the best way to get free from Snoke.”

“Yeah.” Ben stared blankly ahead, pulling the keys from the ignition but making no move to exit the vehicle.

“Here,” Rey said. “You wait here as long as you need to, but I will go in there and introduce myself and start the conversation. You’ve told me enough about the situation that I can describe how she could help, and she probably will be curious to meet your girlfriend, right?”

“You would do that for me?” Ben gaped at her.

“I would do anything for you, boyfriend,” Rey smiled sadly. “But I have to count on you to back me up, all right? You are going to come in there, right?”

“Yes. I am just going to do some breathing for a few minutes so I don’t go in there and get all angry like usual. I will follow you in five. The building is kindof a maze and badly marked — just go in the big ornately carved door on the first floor. She’ll expect me to come in without knocking, she wouldn’t hear from the back of the office suite anyway.”

“Ok,” Rey climbed out of the car, trying to look and sound more cheerful and confident than she felt. 

Entering the building, Rey was awed by the atmosphere. There were certainly a lot of ornately carved things, including the door just to her left. But Ben had said the first floor, so she climbed the red-carpeted staircase and was pleased to find an ornately carved door just to her left there as well. “I can do this, it is my boyfriend’s mom and she is going to rescue him,” she resolved and, taking a deep breath, put her hand to the door handle and turned.

Rey stepped into a large office area decorated with fine midcentury modern furniture. Orange curtains hung to either side of the large windows at the far end of the room. But what shocked her was the scene on the leather chaise longue in the middle of the room. 

Well, I guess now I see where he gets his height, she thought. Rey didn’t remember any photos of Senator Organa very clearly — she had only been living here for a few weeks, and tried not to think about the news too much — but was surprised to find she had purple hair. However, purple hair was the least surprising thing about Ben’s mom. 

She was bent over the chaise with her long dress hiked up to her waist and her panties rucked down to her ankles. Behind her, a trimly built man in a tan suit brandished a cat-o-nine-tails while wearing a black leather mask that reminded Rey of Mexican wrestling. 

“Oh, Daddy!” squealed Ben’s mom. “Harder!”

Rey stepped backwards, almost falling over her feet to get back out of the door and shut it again. That was…a really unfortunate scene to walk into. She basically ran down the stairs. At the bottom, she crashed into a wall of Ben Solo as he came into the building from outdoors.

“Ohmigod,” Rey panted out. “So! Awkward!”

“Whoa, slow down,” Ben held her tightly. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be freaking out. What’s wrong?”

Rey looked around to make sure no one else was in the hall, then spoke quietly. “I walked into the office just like you said. But your mom definitely didn’t seem to be expecting us. Umm… she was involved in some, uh, sexy times?”

“What the FUCK?” exploded Ben. “She totally knew we were coming. This has to be Han’s fault. He must have come and distracted her… I am going to kill that son of a bitch…”

“Um, threatening to kill your dad will probably not get your mom to want to help us,” Rey said, patting his arm. “Maybe we should come back some time when they are not having Daddy kink role play on the couch.”

Ben made a mild gagging sound before he furrowed his brow, then looked down at Rey. “What couch?”

“Like, the midcentury modern black leather chaise longue in the middle of the room?”

“Amilyn has one of those, so unless my mom has redecorated or swapped furniture…wait. Rey.” Ben paused. “What did my mom look like?”

“Well,” Rey waved her hands, “I was trying not to look too much with her ass hanging out, but tall and thin? With purple hair?”

She was not expecting Ben to burst out laughing. He laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. “Rey, this is priceless. You are priceless. We are going to tell my mom this story and she is going to actually be glad to see us.” 

Rey just looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

“Rey, you went to the wrong first floor. Amilyn Holdo, who is a tall lady with purple hair, unlike my mom, is up one level — what you Brits would call the first floor. My mom is right here,” and he gestured to the ornately carved door next to them on the ground floor. “Come on, let’s go in and tell her what her colleague and oldest friend does in her office.” 

***********************  
Ben was right. Sitting on antique wingback chairs that were definitely not midcentury modern couches, Leia hung on every word that the obviously embarrassed Rey recounted about what she walked in on. They all shared a good laugh.

“I’m sure Ben could tell you some things about his grandfather, but it is a good thing that I most definitely do not have a daddy kink,” Leia said to bring an end to that conversation. Rey blushed even harder, but Ben went rather pale. 

“Did NOT need to know, Mom,” he rumbled. “Anyway, we came here to talk about something a little less amusing than Amilyn’s sexcapades.”

Ben went on to explain what he had discovered about the Media Lab donor list and his suspicions about the project Snoke had him and Hux working on. 

“This sounds very serious, Ben,” Leia responded thoughtfully. “Can you retrieve the list for me to turn in to investigators? You know we can find you another situation if Snoke kicks you out of the lab, but I want you to stay safe and not get implicated in this awful Epstein thing.”

“I wish I could download the list. But the script prevents anyone but Snoke accessing it. I need Hux to be cooperative and in the same place with me to disable the script. And he’s not going to do that because he thinks Snoke will get him deported.”

Leia thought for a moment. “I guess we will have to bring the Bureau in sooner rather than later, then. Time is of the essence. If that asshole Snoke thinks even for a minute that you are suspicious about this he will destroy everything, right?”

“Right,” Ben said with a pinched expression.

Leia picked up her desk phone and pressed a few buttons. “Can you send Poe over when you get a chance?” she asked. The person on the other end of the line had quite a bit to say, to which Leia replied with a series of noncommittal grunts and a “thank you, Ami,” before hanging up the phone. 

Barely a minute passed before there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” yelled Leia and the door opened. In walked Agent Poe Dameron, Ben’s longtime acquaintance and occasional nemesis. Poe had been a pain in the butt when they both attended Lexington High (public school being essential to Leia’s popular political image) but in recent years he’d been unfailingly polite. Ben decided to make an effort, and stood, offering Poe a hand to shake. 

Only then Ben noticed the appalled look on Rey’s bright pink blushing face. As Poe went to greet Leia Ben leaned in to Rey and whispered “What’s wrong?”

“He’s the guy. Amilyn Holdo’s masked man,” she whispered back, pointing to the tan suit. Ben barely restrained a snort of laughter. That would explain how the bastard got here so fast.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” Poe said, approaching Rey. “I’m Agent Poe Dameron, and you are?”

“Rey Nemo,” she hesitated momentarily before shaking his hand, deciding she could just use hand sanitizer if she was worried about where it had been recently.

“Anyway, if Senator Organa here called me in before my colleagues, I’m going to assume that the issue is getting sensitive material from someone involved in white-collar crime?”

“Yes,” Ben replied. He went on to describe the challenges that prevented him being able to acquire the list of crooked Media Lab donors for investigators. 

“Tell me more about this Hux character. Where does he live? What does he like? Any idea where he will be for the rest of today? Is he straight, gay, bi?”

Ben was easily able to give answers about Hux’s residence and activities, but was stumped about his dating life. “Snoke doesn’t allow us a lot of free time, and back at the Academy I don't remember him being involved with anyone.”

Poe seemed not to be listening, tapping away on his phone. “This him?” He held up the phone displaying a Grindr profile. 

“Yeah, looks like it,” Ben said. Rey shrugged. She still hadn’t met Hux even after dating Ben for a month.

“Well luckily for all of us I am the best honey trap in the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Poe said smugly. “I’ll just get my contacts to shadow ban Hux on Grindr tonight and I’ll go in and snag him. You said he always shops for fine beer at the Wine Cask in Inman?”

“Yeah, he is almost religiously devoted to that place,” Ben nodded. “It’s odd, he likes everything else to be super new and trendy but he goes to this wine shop that is far from it.”

Leia smirked. “It’s one of the best, and you know it, Benjamin. Whenever you two decide to get married I will go there to source the champagne.” Ben could feel Rey’s jaw dropping open beside him. Maybe the level of embarrassment of this day was getting to be a bit much even for the girl he’d met when she got naked in his apartment.

“Mom, could you be a bit less Mom?” Ben asked, exasperated. “What is the plan here? How can Rey and I help?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” Poe spoke up, pushing a gorgeous black curl back from his tanned forehead. “I’ve got friends who work there. I’m going to get them to let me be on staff for the evening. I’ll seduce Hux and get the dongle from him. Assuming I get him to come back to “my place,” we have a second apartment in the building that can be ops central for you and our team to use the dongle to turn off the script and access the database. Then we get the dongle back to Hux and hopefully he never even notices. How can I keep you updated on my progress?”

"DM me on Reddit, I'm <Kyloren>," Ben responded. "I only ever use that account on my personal devices so there's no chance Snoke is snooping."

“This is a crazy plan but if it works I like it,” Leia said. “I think I have what you need to seal this deal, if what Ben has said about Hux is true.” Leia stood and walked to an armoire at the side of the room. Opening its doors revealed a massively stocked wet bar. Leia opened a wine fridge and took out a large bottle emblazoned with a symbol that looked to Ben like an hourglass with a wine glass in it. “Take this. It’s yours, Poe, if you can get Hux to share it with you.” She winked.

“Shit, Mom, where’d you get Hill Farmstead?” Ben asked, surprised.

“Bernie wanted my vote on his F-35s,” Leia smiled demurely. “If you ever agree to come visit me and your father at the cabin, there’s a lot more where that came from.”

*********************************

Ben and Rey sat in the "command center" apartment listening to WERS and nervously waiting more news from Poe. The first message had come through to Ben's phone half an hour earlier from a Reddit user called, unsurprisingly, <HotttDamneron>. 

_Hey Ky-Ky, I've met some hot stuff at work and am taking him home. I can't wait to get my hands on what's in his pants. I am going to get them off him right in the living room._

_I might not remember to lock the door but you probably don't want to come home tonight if you take my meaning roomie!_

It was cringeworthy but encoded the information they needed. Poe was confirming that Hux had the dongle in his pants. He was going to get them to disrobe in the living room and leave the door to the apartment unlocked.

The risky part of the plan was that after they were safely ensconced in one of the apartment's bedrooms (Poe had different bedrooms for different personas--tonight he was a suave wine store employee, so that was the same bedroom as when he was the tango instructor or the film professor or the commercial pilot; the other bedroom was for when he was the physical laborer or the gym rat or the motorcycle repairman...) Rey was going to slip in the front door and steal the dongle from Hux's pants. Ben was firmly of the belief that an FBI colleague of Poe's should be taking this risk, but they pointed out that the other agent needed to man the coms and that if Rey was discovered, she could just pretend to be some former lover of Poe's stopping by at a really bad time.

Ben's phone lit up with another Reddit DM. It was just a thumbs up emoji from Poe.

"Here goes nothing," Rey smiled tightly. She could do this.

"You can do this," Ben said as if reading her mind. "Just go in there. Grab Hux's pants. If you can't immediately find the dongle just bring the pants up here with you. Got it?"

"Right!" Rey said determinedly. She left the sparsely furnished apartment and walked silently down the stairs. This time, she had made sure to be on the same page with the Americans about what floor to be on, because once again she was going to be barging in someplace without knocking.

Arriving at Poe's fake apartment, she took a deep breath, grabbed the door handle, and turned. It opened easily and she slipped into the living room. A few lamps were on but no one was in the room -- she tried to ignore the sex sounds from down a hallway. Her pulse suddenly pounding, she rushed to grab the first pants she saw. She couldn't figure out where the dongle was. Maybe it was small? Maybe these were Poe's pants, not Hux's? Looking around a bit more she saw a second pair of pants, and decided that simply taking both with her would be the quickest solution. She slipped out the door, shutting it quietly behind her, and ran up to the command center.

She burst in and slammed the door, brandishing the pants above her head. "I have the pants!" she proclaimed to Ben.

He looked up, then did a double take.

"Rey?" Ben asked. "Why are you holding two pairs of men's underwear?"

Rey looked confused. "You told me to bring Hux's pants. But I couldn't find where he'd concealed the dongle in them, they seemed to just be regular men's Y-fronts in a rather bold print, so then I thought maybe these were Poe's pants? So I found a second pair and I brought both."

Ben facepalmed. "Oh my God, this is getting ridiculous. We need to have, like, English lessons or something."

Rey huffed. "I AM English, you twat. Let me guess...these aren't pants?"

Ben nodded slowly. "Yeah, honey...in America "pants" means "trousers.""

"I wondered why everyone was saying he was storing the dongle in his pants," Rey giggled, gently at first before collapsing into an all-out uncontrollable fit of laughter. When she had stopped, she wiped her eyes with a tissue, picked up her two pairs of men's...knickers...and retraced her steps to the floor below. Fortunately or not, the sex sounds were still in full swing, so she replaced the underwear where she had found it and rummaged in the pockets of the pair of trousers that was not from the familiar tan suit. Quickly locating the dongle, she rushed back out of Poe's apartment and upstairs. The data retrieval could begin.

Working with Poe's FBI colleague, cryptographic expert Jessika, Ben used the two dongles, edited the script so it wouldn't notify Snoke if it was disabled, disabled it, and downloaded the entire database. Then he reenabled the script and revised it back to normal. Barely fifteen minutes had passed. Now Rey had the thankless job of sneaking back into Poe's apartment again.

Once again, she steeled her nerves...and slipped into the apartment. It was eerily silent. She stood stock still right inside the doorway, hoping against hope that some sound would clue her in to whether it was safe to enter and complete her task.

After what felt like ages, she heard a shower turn on in the far reaches of the apartment. Poe's voice called out and was answered by Hux. Rey let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding, then scurried to replace the dongle in the correct pocket of Hux's trousers. She flitted back out the door, and it was done. They had done it!

She rushed back up the stairs and leapt into Ben's arms for a bruising embrace.


	3. Green Mountain High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, "you're not alone" isn't reassuring--like when Han and Luke interrupt Ben and Rey's vacation at the family cabin.
> 
> a.k.a. More shibari and UK-US mistranslation.

"Remind me again why we're here?" Ben whispered into Rey's ear as she clutched his arm. In front of them, the bartender used a strange tool to make some aromatic liqueur into a cloud and float it on top of her pink gin. 

"We're here because Halloween is Hux's birthday and the poor git is trying to turn over a new leaf now that he has a boyfriend? Which apparently means attaching himself to our set," Rey murmured, taking the cocktail with a word of appreciation. Ben slipped the "cocktail artisan" a large tip before placing his hand on Rey's lower back and guiding her over to the table where their party was now being seated.

Hux had asked them all to attend in costume as Hollywood stars. He probably hoped to prevent anyone showing up in less than glamorous attire for their dinner at ArtScience, one of Cambridge's most pretentious restaurants. Ben and Rey had come as Cary (Grant) and Carrie (Fisher). Rose was gorgeous in a platinum wig as Marilyn Monroe. Finn and Poe, however, didn't seem to have gotten the memo about looking glamorous. Finn was a perfect Danny Glover from _Lethal Weapon_, complete with shoulder holster (borrowed from Poe) under a rumpled suit. And Poe was completely over the top as Bob Hope in drag from [_Casanova's Big Night_](https://christinawehner.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/casanovas-big-night-1954-bob-hope-spoof-of-swashbucklers/). 

It took a few tries to get them all seated, simply because Poe's voluminous skirts didn't play well with the postmodern furniture. He eventually ended up next to Ben. Finn and Rose, who had already had a couple of cocktails before the other two couples arrived, were engaged in a loud conversation about the relative merits of the _Lethal Weapon_ and _Die Hard_ franchises. Rey tried to listen politely to Hux as he pontificated on the various things on the menu. She had attended Oxford for uni, so she wasn't as ill-informed as a person of her financial status might generally be, and the menu wasn't the most daring she'd seen in her time dating Ben. But she figured it was Hux's birthday, so if he needed to mansplain something, she could appear to listen.

To her other side, Ben and Poe had their heads together, deep in conversation. Rey tried to listen in.

"...so tomorrow is the day," Poe was saying, patting his powdered wig. "The MIT President is going to put Snoke on paid administrative leave. They're going to be hiring a law firm to do a report, and it won't be Organa Holdo Konnix."

"The less my family is involved the better, but I hope they get someone competent and ethical," Ben replied. "We've got to put him away, or at the very least, MIT has to cut him off. Otherwise Hux and I are screwed."

"It's going to take some time to see how it plays out. Have you thought about what you are going to do while Snoke is on leave?"

"Keep the lab running?" Ben speculated.

"Good luck with that," Poe responded. "Word has it all the financial resources are going to be frozen. Not to mention, Snoke is likely to have some suspicions about how the agency got hold of his donor records. You and Hux might want to make yourselves scarce."

"What are you recommending for Hux? You sending him off somewhere so you can go back to seducing marks for the agency?"

Poe frowned up at Ben from beneath his false eyelashes. "Look, man, he knows what I do for work. That's how we met. Neither of us minds sharing," Poe sighed. "I'm actually planning to take a vacation. We'll visit his family in Ireland. If things are still sketchy we'll go hang with my cousins in Guatemala."

"Cool," Ben said, finishing his beer. "Maybe I'll take Rey somewhere. Though I guess she'll still have school and work." He frowned.

************************************

After the meal, Ben and Rey walked slowly through the streets of Cambridge back toward her apartment. It was a long walk, but they stopped for beers at Lord Hobo and Atwood's on their way. Rey's Carrie Fisher-as-space-princess costume allowed for flat shoes, too, so they enjoyed the night and the walk. She knew Ben despised her futon mattress, but he wanted to crash with her instead of Ubering back to his place. They could make it work.

"What's on your mind?" she asked as they cuddled up under the duvet.

"Snoke's getting put on leave tomorrow. Dameron tipped me off. The funding for the lab will be tied up and he'll be mad as hell, probably figure Hux and I were involved."

"What are you going to do?" Rey asked. "Is there another professor who could take you on?"

"In the long term, yes," Ben answered. "But for now I'm mostly interested in being far away from Snoke. I'm thinking about heading up to my parents' cabin in Vermont, at least for a few days. Come with me?"

Rey sighed. "I've to work at the weekend."

"Call in sick?"

"That isn't quite fair to my coworkers, is it?"

"You're too kind, baby," Ben nuzzled her neck. "Come on, they probably all want the extra hours. If you let them know now that you have the flu, there's plenty of time to get it sorted."

Rey looked down at where he was grasping her hand. "Okay. We can leave after I submit the proofread citations to Professor Djo tomorrow morning. I don't have any lectures to attend on Fridays."

"Good thing, given how much we drank," Ben murmured, slipping into sleep.

************************************

Rey looked out the passenger window of Ben's truck as the forests of western New Hampshire slipped past. Everything looked somewhat different from this high up than it had on those rare occasions when she used to drive to Wales in her rickety Volkswagen. 

Knight wiggled through from the cramped back seat again, planting himself in her lap so that he could watch the view, too. "You're almost too big to sit in my lap, buddy," Rey chided the furry creature, scratching his ruff. Knight just grinned at her, tongue lolling.

Ben looked over from the driver's seat to give her a mock soulful look. "I hope I'm not too big for your lap," he teased. Rey giggled.

"Just don't actually sit on me and you are welcome in my lap any time, big boy," she laughed.

Ben fiddled with the satellite radio, which was not handling the mountainous area and overcast weather very well. Eventually he gave up and shut it off. "How are you feeling today?"

"Great, honestly," Rey answered. "Hux kept talking at me so much, I barely drank any wine or cocktails while we were at the restaurant. Where did he get the idea you are good friends? Is this because of Poe's, ah, association with your mom's friend?"

Ben grimaced. "No, it's not about Poe and Amilyn. Poe and I went to high school together, but I actually know Hux from the Naval Academy."

"I thought you said he was not an American citizen?" Rey said quizzically.

"Yeah, the funny thing was that neither of us were at the Naval Academy to join the U.S. Navy. The Academy takes a few dozen international students, so he was there from the Irish Navy. I was aiming to be a Marine Aviator." Ben returned his focus to the road. "He was a douche even then."

"How did you both end up with Snoke all these years later, then?" Rey looked over at Ben's profile.

He frowned. "Not sure, really. I majored in electrical engineering because I already had a good grasp on most of the stuff they teach in the CS major and figured it'd be a waste of time. Hux's military service was a lot shorter time than my commitment, and when I got out, here he was with Snoke saying the MIT Media Lab was this great opportunity for me to get a Ph.D., talking about how they'd watched my career and my progress...I guess I was flattered and at loose ends. It also seemed like a good fuck you to Luke."

"Since he's a computer scientist too?"

"Yeah, not joining his lab and going to a rival," Ben paused. "Can we talk about something else, though? What do you want to do while we're at the cabin?"

Rey grinned silently. "Oh, you know...I might be too excited, my first time in Vermont. You might have to restrain me."

"I think I can do that," Ben winked at her.

**************************************

When they actually arrived at the family cabin, Knight was easily the most excited. He bounded from the car and immediately rushed off to sniff the trees and shrubs, tracking down the scents of all the fauna that had passed through the area. Rey's enthusiasm wasn't far behind the dog's, though. She gaped, admiring the sprawling timber structure with its multiple-storey windows and numerous comfortable balconies and porches. 

Ben fumbled with the lock for a minute while Rey unloaded their bags onto the front porch. Eventually he got the artificially medieval-looking front door open. "It's been a while," he mused.

"How long, dare I ask?" Rey said quietly.

"Years. Since flight training, probably."

"So this is Knight's first time here?" Rey asked. "Should we worry that he will run off?"

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "Not a chance. Shibas are hunting dogs, so he can find his way back. He knows who has the hot dogs." He led the way through into the two-storey great room. It was well-furnished and impeccably clean, decorated in a comfortable but impersonal style. "See what I mean about this place?"

Rey looked up, noticing the sturdy beam that bisected the room from the windows to the loft. It was well over three meters up, which would allow for a lot more daring aerial setups than they had managed from Ben's pullup bar. "Quite," she grinned at him.

Before long they had assembled a very late lunch from the food they had brought with them in a cooler and Ben was scaling a rickety step ladder to secure several anchor ropes over the beam. "What do you think of the temperature in here?" he asked absently.

"Hmm, it's nice now but might not be so nice once I'm starkers," Rey replied. "Is this a real fireplace or just for show?"

"Real," Ben jumped down from the ladder, beckoning her to follow him to yet another porch. "The woodpile is right here. Do you want to bring in a dozen or so logs and I will start the fire after I finish prepping your rig?"

"Sure thing boss," Rey teased, enjoying his blush. She lingered on the back porch as he went back in the house. The chief thing she noticed about Vermont was how silent it was. No buses or motorcycles broke the stillness, only the occasional honking of geese. She filled the firewood carrier with half a dozen logs and some smaller kindling, breathing in the pleasant fall leaf-mould scent on the breeze.

Inside, Ben was contemplating how best to arrange Rey's ropes. He was almost afraid to admit how excited he was to try aerial shibari in a less constricted environment than his bedroom doorway. Ben had always harbored a taste for sex standing up, but the reality had never quite lived up to his imagination. Since he was 6'3" tall, having sex with a standing partner was often impractical. For most girls, he had to kind of squat or hunch over even if they were in 5" platform hooker shoes. Or he had to hold her up against the wall the entire time, worrying he'd drop her. He'd had Phasma against a wall at a sorority party they snuck out to once in their 4th Class year at the Academy, but their usual easy friendship had not translated into satisfying sex. Yes, it felt awesome to thrust into an attractive woman at his own altitude. But...she got off on insulting her sexual partners, apparently. Neither harbored hard feelings, but it was not an experience he hoped to repeat. 

But now...with Rey firmly supported in a rope harness, he'd be able to try many, many variations on sex standing up. With, of course, reasonable breaks for her circulation. He smiled and went to make some coffee. Needed to keep his alertness up after the long drive and before what he hoped would be a _very_ long night.

************************************

Ben could never quite get over how gorgeous his girlfriend was, but it was even more astonishing every time she was standing there naked and glowing and begging him to knot her up. This time she emerged from the bathroom holding a brightly colored bandanna.

"What's that for, baby?" he asked. "Do you want me to blindfold you or something? You know I like to see your eyes, but whatever you want to try..."

"Actually," Rey said tentatively, looking at the floor as she shifted slightly from one foot to the other. "I want it on my mouth. As a gag."

"But what about safe words?" he asked with concern.

"Ben, you know my body well enough at this point. You will be able to tell if I am not having a good time. I don't really need a safeword. I'd just like to...to pretend it's really out of my control, that I'm your prisoner. It'd be really...hot," she rushed on, "and the new setting is exciting so..."

"Ok, ok," he said, pulling her into a hug and stroking her bare shoulder as she nuzzled her cheek into his tshirt. "I think I understand. My apartment is too safe and familiar, but here it can be unknown and dangerous, like you've been kidnapped by," and he lowered his voice to a growling basso, "a seductive evil galactic warlord. Who is wearing a Soundgarden tour tshirt and sweatpants for whatever reason."

Rey giggled, blushing. "Something like that. Maybe you should ditch the tshirt and sweatpants. I'm sure evil warlords abducting young innocent MBA students normally operate in just boxer briefs."

"Anything for you, my captive," Ben purred, immediately stripping off the offending articles of clothing. "Now, it's time for my little bird to fly."

He seized a rope and began expertly twisting it around her waist. For aerials, he mostly let her breasts free, focusing on total stability and maneuverability for her legs in the form. Her weight had to be supported in the harness binding her waist and hips. Finally he would secure linkages between her wrists and legs which would allow him to pose her like some sort of nymphomaniac-ballerina marionette fantasy.

When she was fully bound and suspended, he checked the security of the setup and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. "You comfortable? Circulation ok?" 

"Yes, Ben," she smiled. "I'm also pretty...ready."

He said nothing in response, just quirking an eyebrow and running a finger gently between her folds as she spun slowly in the air. "Mhmm," he affirmed, cleaning his finger in his mouth. "I can tell. Now. You sure about this?" He picked up the bandanna, rolling it into a convenient shape for tying around her head. "I'll miss hearing you scream my name," he murmured into her ear.

Rey shivered with arousal. "Just do it, please."

Ben set to work placing the rolled bandanna between her open teeth and tying it tightly at the back of her head. She could still get out some indistinct sounds, and he was sure that, as she had said, he would be able to tell if she was actually in distress. He couldn't imagine how she had had the confidence to do BDSM with men she didn't know and trust as well as they had grown to know and trust one another over the last couple months, but that was just one part of Rey's amazing personality that he could keep trying to figure out. 

At the moment, though, he needed to keep trying to figure out how to give her the biggest orgasms of her life. He decided to start slow. Gently tugging on the complicated arrangement of ropes, he arranged her so that she was suspended as if floating on her back with head and shoulders tilted upwards, hands and feet pulled up underneath her almost to her bottom. He used the pulley he'd installed to lift her up a few inches (thanks, intro mechanical engineering class all those years ago), then spread her knees gently. He pulled up a chair and sat down with his head between her legs.

"And now, young lady, we'll see what secrets you're hiding," he growled promisingly. "You know I can take whatever I want."

He grasped her thighs and began slowly teasing the glistening pussy that floated in front of his face with his tongue. He felt the little spasms travel through her entire body as he swiped past her clitoris, but he was careful to expend most of his attentions just slightly off the mark. He wanted her very, very keyed up for her first orgasm, because immediately after it her intended to use her thoroughly.

After five minutes or so of tasting her, plunging his tongue into her opening, gently stroking with the occasional finger, she was squirming. Like a good torturer he took that as his sign to take a break. Ben pushed back the chair and stood up, stretching. She thrashed as wildly as she could in her harness, setting it gently rocking as she bellowed incoherent noises. 

"Your circulation ok?" he asked. She nodded her head vigorously. "Everything okay?"

Rey shook her head, furrowing her brows angrily. She gyrated her hips--or attempted to. Ben smirked at her.

"Patience, Rey. Remember, you're my guest. You only get to come when I decide." A muffled moan emerged from the bandanna.

"Ok, ok," he sighed, and sat back down. He could smell her arousal, and his cock started to harden in his underwear as he set himself more efficiently to the task of bringing her undone with his mouth and fingers. One digit, then two pumped firmly in and out while the other hand grasped her beautiful buttocks to hold her suspended form against his mouth. He licked and sucked vigorously at her clitoris until she burst into spasms with her first orgasm, squealing through the muffling cloth.

"So beautiful," he commented, taking a last lick before he stood up, put away the chair, and removed his underwear. Standing between her legs, he took his cock in hand and dragged it up her folds, collecting the copious arousal fluid that dripped from her with his cockhead. He stroked himself a few times, then set about rearranging her pose. This part took some more involvement from the pulley as he slackened the arrangement of her arms and legs, then shifted her to hang upright, legs gently crossing under her. This pose reminded him of the painting of "The Hanged Man" from his grandmother's Aleister Crowley tarot deck, just upside-down. Finally, he continued flipping her so that she now floated on her stomach, legs pulled up over her, wrists meeting her ankles. 

"I see you wore your hair just as I like it," he praised her, grasping each bun firmly. Because her upper body was supported only at waist and wrists, he'd had to innovate a little something for this part, too. Luckily Rey enjoyed hair pulling. He threaded the wire through the middle bun, twisting it back onto the harness so her head was pulled up, looking at his waist. Again he tested everything and looked for any sign she was uncomfortable. Not sensing any problems, he caressed her face with his hands. 

"You don't know how long I've dreamed of fucking you like this," he said as he suddenly undid the bandanna gag. She opened her mouth to protest its removal, but he just grinned. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you can't talk, little prisoner," he said, guiding her open mouth onto his cock as she floated before him. He barely had to thrust at all, he could just pull her back and forth like some kind of giant floating extra realistic fleshlight. A few more thrusts and he decided to change things up. He spun her around so he was between her legs again, and thrust into her cunt, soft and wet and tight from her recent orgasm. Grasping her hips, he pushed and pulled her through the air onto his body. She moaned loudly.

"I thought you were supposed to keep that mouth shut," he said threateningly. Spinning her around again, he shoved his dick, now fully covered in her arousal, back into the open mouth she so willingly presented. "Otherwise I have to shut it for you," he gritted out as he fucked her mouth again. She moaned around him and a shiver coursed down his back. He continued dragging her face on and off his dick until he felt his orgasm approaching, then he stepped away, gripping himself tightly at the base of his cock. He spun her around yet again and stood between her legs. 

Instead of sheathing himself inside her, he simply pulled Rey's hips back until her wet pussy was pressed flat to his abdomen, just above his jutting cock. He felt her squirm against him. Reaching forward, around and under her ribcage, he found her stiff nipples and began to brush and pinch them with his fingers. This caused her to seek friction against his pubic hair more wildly. Finally he grasped her breasts, two perfect handfuls, and pulled her back against his body. He felt her thrash and squirm her hips, seeking friction for her clit against his erection. She rubbed and rubbed herself as he roughly played with her breasts, standing with his legs firmly planted. 

Finally Ben felt the opening tremors of her next orgasm, and he swung her gently away, only to sheath himself almost violently in her frantically pulsing cunt. He was so on edge that the rhythmic clenching brought him to orgasm immediately, and he bent over her bound form, gasping. Once he'd come down from his high, he pulled out of her, cleaning himself up with his discarded tshirt and watching mesmerized as his spend dripped out of her slowly spinning form. It made a sort of figure eight pattern of drops on the floor. He'd clean it up as soon as he took care of Rey's needs, if only because he felt some pity for whatever hired maid service had to clean up after his family.

He loosened the wires pulling Rey's head back before quickly restoring her to the upright, Hanged Man posture. Then he used the pulleys to gradually lower her. He didn't trust that she would be able to stand immediately after all the odd and constrictive postures (plus orgasms), so he laid her gently on the couch, carefully unwinding and untying the ropes. Once her wrists were free they shared a bottle of water.

Once Rey was fully unbound, she murmured gently, "Ben, that was fantastic but I don't think I have another round in me for tonight. It's been a long week. Can you help me to bed?"

"With pleasure," he responded. He'd decided they would sleep in the loft, since that was his favorite spot any time it wasn't high summer. It would mean a bit of a challenge to carry her up there, but it was a sturdy ladder and he was a Marine, so this was not an insurmountable obstacle. He would overcome a lot more to get to a comfortable bed with Rey in it.

************************************

Ben woke to the sound of a door opening. Crap. He had just assumed no one else would be coming up to the cabin this weekend. He did not want to have to deal with any of his family members for an extended period. Or maybe Snoke had hired someone to kill him. He wasn't sure which option was worse.

He nudged Rey, but she barely stirred in her sleep. Downstairs, he heard the heavy sounds of someone putting bags down in the kitchen and walking into the great room. Then a gruff "Fuck me," in a voice that could only be his father's. Ben understood the sentiment.

Unfortunately, the next thing he heard was one half of a phone conversation.

"Got a minute, Princess?...Yeah, I just got to the cabin, have you been renting it out on Airbnb again? There are boxers on the floor and some kind of a, well, I have to assume it is a sex swing? Set up in the great room?...No Airbnb?...You think it's..." Han began guffawing, which eventually turned into coughing. "Yeah, I'll see if he's here. You're right, better if he's away from Snoke and all that shit. But I don't think I want to sit on this couch ever again...No, you're right, Princess. We were just as bad."

Ben couldn't possibly face the mortification that awaited him downstairs. He'd seen Han maybe once or twice since he left the Marines. Ben had hoped the next meeting would be easier now that he had gotten his anger management issues under control -- no matter how much his advisor tried to goad him, he just didn't give a shit -- so having Han walk in on his intimate retreat with Rey was not going to set things off on the right foot. 

He sat up and grabbed a pair of boxer shorts out of his duffel. Pulling them on, he tried to shake Rey awake once more. 

"Mmm, what's up, honey?" she asked, eyes blinking open slowly as she smiled sleepily.

"You kids decent up there?" came a gruff voice from the bottom of the ladder. Rey's eyes shot open at the unfamiliar voice.

"Not really, Dad," Ben said in response. "Any chance you can fuck off back to Estonia and we can have this reunion another time?"

"Nice try, Benjamin," Han called up. "Get down here, we should talk."

Ben sighed and went over to the ladder, tossing Rey her bag as he went. 

"You always travel like this?" Han asked, gesturing to the ropes and Ben's minimal attire. 

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry you walked in on my getaway with my girlfriend. Next time I will definitely ask Mom if anyone's using the cabin, okay? Now can we just leave it?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned and began disassembling the ropes setup and putting them away in Rey's trusty boat tote. 

Han looked at him for a long moment. "Sure. I'm going to make some coffee, then I have some news you are probably not going to want to hear."

By the time they were drinking their coffee, Ben had steeled himself for the worst. Did Han have lung cancer? Was Snoke going after Leia?

"Luke was planning to meet me here tomorrow," Han said finally.

Ben clenched his jaw. Luke was the last person he wanted to see. Luckily, at that moment Rey emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed. He'd focus on introductions now and let tomorrow take care of itself.

"Hey, if it isn't the girl I've heard so much about," Han said, turning on the charm. Rey smiled and held out a hand to shake.

"Sorry again about the living room, Mr. Solo. The circumstances are quite embarrassing. But I'm sure your wife has told you about how I met her, so I seem to be having a series of these shambolic encounters with Ben's family."

Han laughed. "No harm no foul. Now. Someone told me you like good beer, just like my son here. I brew some in the garage here when I'm around. Wonder if you could try my latest batches and tell me what you think."

"It's ten a.m., Dad," Ben pointed out.

"Rey's British, that's a perfectly good time for a beer, am I right?" Han quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.

Rey laughed. "I see our reputation precedes me. Normally I would argue with you, but we're on vacation this weekend. Right, Ben?"

Ben could only nod his approval. And who was he kidding, Han's beer was pretty good and he could use a distraction from shit like Snoke and Luke.

Han beckoned them toward the garage, describing the batches that were available as he went. "So, if you like a traditional cask ale, I hope you will like the Millennium Ale...it's predominantly hopped with East Kent Goldings and I cultivated the yeast from some sludge I smuggled out of the Ridgeway brewery." Rey and Ben exchanged an eye roll as he went on about the original gravity and the final gravity of the wort. But when Rey asked about the finings and Han's eyes lit up, Ben started to feel a smidgen jealous.

"All right, folks. Less talking...more drinking?" he proposed.

"Hear, hear!" Rey concurred. 

*************************************

All in all, Saturday was not the worst reunion Ben could have imagined with his chronically absentee white hat hacker father. Han had brought a surprising quantity of steak, so they grilled, drank, played poker, and enjoyed the last vestiges of Vermont fall. Han refrained from bringing up the ropes situation he'd walked into. And despite the renowned Solo luck (Ben suspected his dad cheated just as hard as he did), Rey cleaned both men out at poker. Han passed out early, claiming he had to be up early for a call with some Finnish business partner of his named Suotamo. Ben and Rey, bundled in heavy jackets, watched the stars.

Sunday was an altogether different matter. Ben woke to find Han shut up in the master bedroom growling into the phone in bad German. The fridge was suddenly full of weird vegan shit, and the ugly brown VW Eurovan in the driveway explained where it came from. Luke was around...somewhere. The man had a talent for disappearing and reappearing without notice, like he was some kind of wraith.

Rey hopped down the ladder, a picture of agility in her leggings and running top. "I'm going to explore for a bit and get some exercise in. It's so beautiful here," she enthused to Ben. "Want to come with?"

He shook his head. "No, I better stay here and face the music. Luke's around somewhere, he and I have some shit to work out."

"I remember what you told me. Sure you don't want me to stick here with you?" Rey asked, brow furrowed in concern.

"It's ok, darling," Ben ducked down to kiss her cheek. "You go enjoy your run. Chances are he won't show up before you get back anyway."

Rey nodded and bent to finish tying her shoelaces. Then she was off. The Organa-Solo vacation cabin was nestled in a clump of trees, but Han had explained that the property was more than 80 acres. It was a mixture of forest and farmland. Some of the farmland was still under cultivation by agreement with neighboring farmers, and one five-acre parcel had sprouted undulating waves of solar panels. The forest had been sheep pasture 200 years ago and was crisscrossed by a network of crumbling stone walls. Now it only attracted attention during maple sugaring season. Rey figured she would start in the woods and see if there were decent paths to trail run, then run the edges of the farm fields if not. 

As it turned out, the woods were not well tracked. Rey broke through the brush to come out on the edge of a large field. It was clearly under cultivation. Rows of verdant low bushes stretched far as the eye could see. Rey jogged along one edge of the field, noting occasional traces of the animals that lived there; grasses flattened by resting deer, or the ankle-threatening holes left by a groundhog.

She was looking at her feet, carefully avoiding a series of such holes, when she ran smack into a man who was standing still, looking out over the field.

"Oof! I'm so sorry," she panted, pulling herself up and extending a hand to the interloper.

"Jeepers creepers. You should be," he said accusingly, though his face looked reasonably friendly. A grizzled beard and wild grey hair surrounded piercing blue eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm going for a run?" Rey responded, wondering the same about him.

"No, I don't mean here here," the man grumbled. "What's your prime narrative? You dig?"

Rey cocked her head, confused. "Dig? I'm here because I'm visiting the cabin with my boyfriend?" she tried again.

"Hmm, sounds like a gas, but not what I'm asking," the man chided her. "Why did the life force, the earth mother, fate, God, whatever you want to call it -- why did it put you? on this earth? in 2019?"

"Uhhh," was all Rey could respond. "It didn't? I'm just here, making the best of it?"

"That's a square answer," the man grunted. "Maybe you need to look for enlightenment."

"Well, why the fuck are you here?" Rey bristled.

"You buggin'? Meh. Visit my brother-in-law. Check on my crops," and he gestured to the swaying field of plants. "It's harvest time. Far out, huh?" He gestured to the waving foliage with a small smile.

"I see?" Rey answered. "But what's _your_ prime narrative?"

The blue eyes shot to her suspiciously, but after a moment passed, he laughed. It was a surprisingly pleasant sound for such a weird and grumpy person. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I make my own narrative."

"Well, Luke, I'm Rey Nemo. I make my own too. Now, care to explain why you are growing," and here she paused to look more closely at the nearest plant, confirming her suspicions, "vast tracts of marijuana on Senator Organa's land?"

Luke snorted. "It's my land too, chica. Senator Organa is my sister. Did she rent you the place on Airbnb? She doesn't know how to cool it, always looking to make a buck, waste no time..." he trailed off.

"Why does everyone keep bringing up Airbnb? You do realize there are more people in your family, right? And none of you appear to be capable of communicating with one another about when you are using the cabin," Rey huffed. "And I'm not sure you can criticize your sister's renting out the property as an Airbnb host when you are using it to grow boatloads of drugs."

Luke looked at her searchingly after her outburst. "Other family members...I'm getting a bad feeling about this. You remind me an awful lot of my sister when she gets angry. No messing with my crops now, you dig?"

"Sure, whatever," Rey said dismissively. "You and the Senator can sort this out."

"Just remember--" Luke waggled a finger at her, "you damage any of my green, chica, and I will spank your fanny. Just like I would my naughty sister." He mimed winding up for a vigorous slap.

Rey's face contorted into an appalled expression, and without another word she turned and began jogging swiftly back to the cabin. Ben was right. His uncle was a fucked-up individual. Gross!

As she ran up to the house she saw Han sitting on a porch swing. He had concluded his phone call and was placidly sipping a mug of coffee. Tossing him a quick wave, she hurried into the building, letting the door slam behind her. 

"Ben?" she called out. 

"Right here, babe," came the answer from the bathroom. He rinsed his razor, then finished washing the remnants of the shaving foam from his face. Drying face and hands on a towel, he asked, "What's up, Rey? You look upset."

"I met Luke," she grimaced, panting from her rapid sprint back to the house. "He's a sick fuck."

"I hate that guy," Ben nodded in agreement. "But why would he bother you? What happened?"

"He threatened to sexually assault me?" Rey exclaimed. Ben looked surprised. "And he suggested that he does it to your mom?"

"Whoa, whoa, what the fuck," Ben shook his head. "Back up and help me understand here. I think this is a whole new level of sick fuck that I was...not expecting. Like, there is some story that my mom kissed him one time when she didn't realize it was her brother, but...I'm guessing you aren't talking about kissing? What did he _say_ to you?"

Rey cleared her throat. "He said, "Chicky, if you mess with my marijuana, I will spank your fanny, just like I would my naughty sister." Like, who the fuck goes around threatening to slap women on the cunt?"

Ben's eyes widened in realization. Then he pulled Rey into a hug. "Darling, Luke is a shithead. And he shouldn't have threatened to spank you, because that is weird and bullshit. But...English dialects strike again. Fanny doesn't mean cunt over here, Rey."

"It doesn't?" she asked, tilting her head to the side to look up at him. 

"Nope," Ben smiled. "Just means bum. Still not appropriate, but..."

"...But way less sick," Rey started to laugh. "Oh my god, when will this ever end?"

"Probably when we go to visit England," Ben replied, kissing her gently. "Then I can be the one making ridiculous errors."

"I'm going to take a quick shower," Rey said. 

Ben moved into the kitchen to assemble a snack for himself and Rey, then grabbed a mug of coffee and headed out to the porch to join Han. They sat in silence.

"Sorry about Luke being here," Han offered. 

"Rey had a run-in with him already. He's back to his old tricks, weed farming?"

"Yeah. Please don't burn it all down this time," Han sighed. "It's legal now, and he bothered to ask your mother. She's okay with it."

Ben thought back to the last time he had seen his uncle. Ben had been visiting the Organa property in central Massachusetts for a weekend's quiet before he shipped out for his first deployment. Leia wasn't around, since she was campaigning for reelection all over the state. Ben was walking around the property with his dog at the time, an elderly shiba inu named Indiana, when he discovered a two-acre field of marijuana plants. 

He saw red. Whatever squatter was secretly growing illegal weed on his mom's property was endangering her election chances. So he did what any angry young man with a government-issued machete might do: he hacked down all the plants, heaped them up next to the tumbledown tool shed in the middle of the field, doused the plants in gasoline, and set them on fire. 

Unfortunately, it turned out the tool shed was his uncle Luke's place of residence during his university sabbatical, Luke was there sleeping off a mushroom-fuelled vision quest, and the weed was Luke's, too. Fortunately, Luke woke up in time to escape the inferno, but the two men ended up hurling punches at one another at the edge of the field, Ben screaming repeatedly about Luke's lack of consideration for Leia while Luke accused Ben of trying to murder him, which would be, in Luke's words, perfectly aligned with the U.S. military approach to the world.

Ben choked Luke out and left him on the ground. Then he packed up his bag and his dog, called his mom's voicemail to explain there was a lot of smoldering marijuana at her adoptive father's old estate, and drove all the way back to the base. He left for the Persian Gulf two days later without hearing back from her.

Han had sent him a care package a month into the deployment. It was cigars. Ben hated cigars, but the other pilots didn't mind taking them off his hands.

Now the two men sat silently on the porch in the crisp morning air. The sun had come out and a chill fog was rising up at the other end of the lawn. Suddenly a figure strode through the mist. He had bedraggled grey hair and a shaggy beard. He wore an oversized cardigan sweater, nearly reaching his knees, that was brown and almost as shaggy-looking as his beard. Baggy cargo pants, a tie-dyed shirt and Birkenstocks completed the ensemble. 

Ben put his coffee down and strode off the porch to walk toward his uncle. Han groaned, holding his head in his hands, and pulled out his phone, debating whether he should call Leia or Chuy with the play-by-play. Just then Rey burst out of the house, pulling Ben's jacket on over her shirt and leggings, her hair still hanging damply to her shoulders. 

"Luke's come?" she asked Han. He just nodded, grimacing. Rey shoved her feet back into her sneakers and leapt off the porch to follow Ben. She ran up to the two men just as they faced off on either side of a large flat boulder. Knight ran up then and perched on top of the low rock, snarling quietly at Luke.

"Yo, yo, daddy-o," Luke greeted his nephew -- or maybe he was greeting the dog, Rey couldn't tell -- nonsensically. "Your lady here is way out." Luke nodded seriously at Rey. Maybe he was trying to convey his approval? Rey realized "fanny" wasn't the only thing that was decidedly off about Luke's manner of speech.

"Fuck you, Luke," Ben grunted, clasping and unclasping his fists at his sides. "You totally creeped out this "far out" lady by threatening to spank her. I should tell your department head."

"Ben, do you really think a science department head would give a shit?" Luke finally addressed him with some clarity. It was like the stoner vibe was just an act that he could put on or take off at will, Rey thought. She could tell Ben was really close to losing it. If he did, he'd beat himself up over regressing with his anger issues. She decided to step in.

"Luke, I know we've only just met, but I think you fail to realize the extent to which you have damaged the lives of your entire family because of how you act," she stated boldly. Ben gaped at her. "You got in a fight with Ben before he left for deployment that left him estranged from his family at a time when it might really have helped him to have a connection with all of you. And you were the one at fault, because who the hell grows illegal drugs on their sister's property when she is running for senator?"

Luke looked like he was about to open his mouth to speak, but Rey's flashing eyes put a stop to that. He shut it. "Plus, Luke, your poor relationship with Ben led to his agreeing to join Snoke's lab. And the entire world knows what toxic rubbish that awful man is now." Apparently Luke hadn't been following the story this week, because a look of confusion crossed his face. "Look it up, Professor. Your rival Snoke is implicated in the Epstein-Palpatine scandal, thanks to the whistleblowing efforts of your nephew here." Rey looked up at Ben with pride as she spoke. "I'll leave it to you two," she said as she summoned Knight and walked back to Han, who was muttering quietly to Leia on his phone.

"That was impressive," he said to her, covering the mouthpiece. Rey blushed and said nothing, but quickly grabbed herself a beer from inside. 10:41 a.m. -- no worse than the day before.

Over by the flat rock the two men were still in a silent standoff. Finally Luke huffed a full-body sigh. "I'm...sorry, Ben," he said, with a sincere look in his piercing blue eyes. "I could be a better adult-slash-uncle-slash professional person. You should be more important to me than my weed growing experiments, even if we had totally different worldviews." He took a deep breath. "And what Rey says about your role in taking down Snoke...I don't really know what happened because I haven't read the news the last couple days, but I'm impressed. I think I'll have to reevaluate my understanding of what your worldview is." He nodded his head, tucked his hands into the pockets of his horrible sweater, and began trudging over to his VW. 

Ben stared into the distance, absorbing what just happened. Eventually he, too, nodded. His long legs allowed him to catch up with the older man. "Luke," he called. His uncle turned around. "Thanks. I'll...let's both try not to be shitty. For Leia's sake."

"My sister can be shitty too, you know," Luke snarked.

"Hey, watch it over there!" Han called from the porch. "Her worshipfulness is on speakerphone here. Good work kissing and making up. Why don't you folks grab yourselves some beers and we can move on to the part where you apologize to Rey for the spanking shit?"

Luke flinched. "I think I am afraid of her. This might call for something stronger than beer."

Han laughed, a gruff bark. "Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a brief, essentially SFW shibari video with a lovely British voiceover: https://vimeo.com/224347413
> 
> Apologies if my aerial scene was essentially impossible according to the laws of physics...nobody should ever try anything Kylo and Rey do at home, anyway! (Unless you are exceptionally Force-sensitive.)

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write a goofy one-shot, but it morphed into a series of pretty self-contained chapters. May get more at some point, especially if people enjoy!


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